


The Bay Area Community Centre

by Lorenzo17



Category: Preath, Tobin Heath/Christen Press - Fandom, USWNT - Fandom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:48:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22246609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lorenzo17/pseuds/Lorenzo17
Summary: Tobin loved living in San Francisco. She loved the hustle and bustle of the city and she also love the calm and collected part of it too and it was about to get even better for her.Christen had recently moved from her beloved California ahead of new role at a community centre. She was yet to discover all that San Francisco could offer but she was excited to find out.
Relationships: Kelley O’Hara/Emily Sonnett, Tobin Heath/Christen Press
Comments: 13
Kudos: 110





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing something like this so I really hope you enjoy!

Tobin loved living in San Francisco. She loved the hustle and bustle of the city and she also love the calm and collected part of it too and it was about to get even better for her. 

Christen had recently moved from her beloved California ahead of new job at a community centre. She was yet to discover all that San Francisco could offer but she was excited to find out. 

It was 8:08am as Tobin wandered through the streets of San Francisco, she was on her way to her favourite coffee shop in aid of a cup of steaming coffee that would give her some life ahead of her busy day. 

Today Tobin was showing her brand new sports facility to a new colleague. It offered a bunch of activities including Basketball, Baseball, Football and Soccer. Tobin was an avid soccer fan and player and would be doing some coaching herself along with a few of her friends for that specific sport. 

At the age of 28 Tobin was in a unique position of owning her own sports facility. Along with working some boring but well paid jobs and being left a nice sum of money from her grandmother before she passed she decided she wanted to invest the money into something special and that would give young kids the chance to express themselves in something they loved. 

She managed to find a old storage unit near the Bay Area that was perfect for what she needed. The unit was up for auction and Tobin was the only person who wanted to invest in the place to her surprise and within three months the storage unit was transformed into a sports centre that was perfect for all types of activities. 

It helped that it was in the Bay Area and coming up to the summer holidays, the coffee shops near was just a perk for her. 

As Tobin rounded the corner and walked through the doors of The Bean she was glad to see one of her closest friends behind the counter. 

“Morning Sunshine, you’re early” greeted Kelley, Tobin had known her since the age of 12 through Soccer Camp and they both ended up in the same City which was a bonus for them two. 

“Hey Kell” Tobin greeted back. “I’m opening the centre an hour earlier due to the new staff member starting today” Tobin had hired a general manager for the centre, as much as the facility was hers and she loved it, being organised was not her strong point and she would much rather hand over the general running of the place to someone more equipped so that she could focus on the coaching side of things. 

“Ahh so you finally hired someone then? What where they like? Was it a woman? Was it the one who’s application you where obsessed with because she had played Soccer in College?” Kelley rambled at a million miles an hour, too much for Tobin to process at this stage of the morning. 

“I’ll answer all of those questions when you serve me a cup of coffee and I’m able to speak more than two sentences to you” Tobin replied while slouching against the counter. 

Kelley just laughed and proceeded to grab Tobin’s large re-usable mug to start making her Latte. 

This was a regular theme for these two although Tobin would be an hour later in her arrival. Kelley finished making Tobin’s drink and handed it over with an eyebrow raise as if to say So?

‘Yes Kel it was the Stanford girl I decided to go for. She was the best candidate by a mile and I needed someone who loved sport and helping people as much as I do to help run the place’ 

‘I knew you’d go for her. I’m telling you, Stanford people are the best’ she replied with a wink. Kelley had also attended Stanford but didn’t play for the Soccer team which Tobin thought was silly considering she’s the most competitive person she has ever met, apart from herself, and was ridiculously good at pick up when they played. 

‘Yeah yeah whatever you say, not all of are brain boxes like you’. Tobin got accepted to UNC but decided that college wasn’t for her, she didn’t want the routine of it all and although her parents weren’t too pleased about her declining the offer they knew that whatever Tobin put her mind to she would succeed. 

The two chatted for a few more minutes but the rush soon came and Kelley had work to do. Tobin checked her watch and saw that it was now 8:35, it was only a 15 minute walk from the shop to the centre but thought best to leave so she was a little bit earlier to welcome her new staff member. 

Tobin was excited but nervous, this project was her baby and made sure that she went through every application process thoroughly so that she would find the perfect fit. 

As she approached the centre she saw a figure standing outside the main entrance, the girl was wearing black heeled boots, jeans and a blouse and blazer, she looked smart but also casual. 

As Tobin approached the girl was now aware of another person and slid off her sunglasses and put her hand out to shake. ‘Hi are you Tobin? I’m Christen Press’


	2. Chapter 2

Christen was an organised person, she liked to have a schedule and a routine so moving to a new city meant a new routine. 

The girl had found a nice one bedroom apartment near the Bay Area. It was a bit pricy but she wanted to be comfortable in her new surroundings and close enough to her new work. 

She was due to meet her new boss? Partner? Work colleague? at 9am so decided to get up at 7, do some yoga, grab some breakfast and give herself enough time to get to the centre she was due to begin working at. 

She was unsure of the attire she should wear, it was a sports facility but she wasn’t going to exactly be doing the coaching or any activities herself so decided a smart but casual outfit. 

She exited her new apartment building and checked google maps for the correct way to go. It was about a 20 minute walk which was ideal and would give Christen a chance to get her bearings and maybe come across some new coffee shops to try out. 

The streets weren’t too busy but there was enough people about for her to get a picture of what kind of place this was. On one corner was a man in a sharp suit holding a brief case talking on his phone, on another there was a young woman dressed in boyfriend jeans with a hoodie and some headphones on riding a skateboard. Christen loved the contrast of people she could see and she knew that it wouldn’t be much different from home in California. 

As Christen continued her walk to her new job she noticed a coffee shop on the corner called The Bean. It looked friendly and interesting and Christen made a mental note to try it out one day as she had already had her morning coffee at home. 

The dark haired girl arrived at the community centre named Bay Area Community Centre. Not very original but she knew that the owner probably couldn’t do much about it. 

She checked her watch and realised she had 20 minutes to kill before her first meeting with her new colleague would begin. 

After admiring the view of the Bay and adjusting her hair and outfit several times she noticed someone start to approach. A girl similar to Christen height with long light brownish hair draped over one shoulder, baggy pants and a plain white t-shirt with some writing in the top left corner and Nike trainers approach her. She assumed this would be the person she was meeting and took off her sunglasses and held out her hand to shake. 

‘Hi are you Tobin? I’m Christen Press.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> L

‘Hi are you Tobin? I’m Christen Press.’ 

‘Hi yeah I’m Tobin, nice to finally meet you’ Tobin replied while shaking Christens hand. ‘Sorry if I kept you waiting long, time management isn’t my strong point’ she said with a laugh while moving to unlock the doors. 

‘Oh no don’t worry about it, I knew I was early plus I had a nice view to look at so I didn’t mind’ she replied back with a smile. 

‘Oh cool that’s good to know, well welcome to the Bay Area community centre’ Tobin said while motioning her arm to the large space. 

Christen loved it as soon as she set eyes on it. In one corner was two full size 3G pitches that could host both Soccer and Hockey games. Next to it separated by a small fence was a full basketball court with benches located next to it. In another corner she could see baseball swing practice that was separated with a huge net right up the ceiling with some helmets and body pads etc hung up on the ball next to it. She could feel the positive vibes from this place already. 

‘It’s a new centre that’s only been open around two months. It’s not much but it’s something I’ve always wanted to own’ she could hear Tobin say in the background as she took in her new surroundings. 

‘I think its brilliant’ replied Christen while turning to look back at Tobin. The girl gave her a toothy grin and it gave Christen a fuzzy feeling in her stomach that she couldn’t quite place. 

‘Well I’ll give you a proper tour shall I?’ And with that both girls starting to move around the open space that they now co-managed. 

‘So the centre hours are 12-9pm. In the summer we sometimes open earlier depending on the schedule for the day and if we have any bookings for the pitches and what the staffing levels are like. We have a couple of coaches on the books at the minute. Myself, Emily and Dom are in charge of Soccer, Megan and Sue are in charge of Basketball, Zach and Julie coach Football and Mal and Dansby run baseball. We are currently looking for a Hockey coach as that is a new sport we are going to introduce here, as soon as we find someone we can get that involved in the schedule’. 

Tobin explained all of this with ease and Christen took in every piece of information hoping to remember names and what sports they controlled. 

‘That sounds really great’ replied Christen. 

Tobin could sense the sincerity of Christen tone and it made her feel calm. 

‘So I suppose I should show where your office will be. I hope you don’t mind that we’ll be sharing, the office space is limited due to me wanting to have as much room for the activities than boring paperwork’ Tobin said with a chuckle. 

She led Christen through a door and down a corridor where 4 offices located. One was Tobin’s, well both Tobin and Christens now, the other was for Emily, Dom and Mal and Dansby, Sue, Megan, Zach and Julie shared too leaving a space for a staff room with a small table and basic kitchen stuff like a fridge, microwave and cupboards to store cups and plates etc. 

Once she was shown all of those areas she was led into her new office. Two desks where situated in different corners, Christen could tell which one was going to be hers as it was empty with only a computer, a pot of pens, a lamp and a stapler lying on it. 

‘That one is yours by the window. We can swap if you like I don’t mind’ Tobin rushed out quickly wanting to make sure Christen felt at home in her new space 

‘No this one is perfect’ Christen replied while placing her stuff on the desk. She took note of the view Of the Bay from her window and it instantly put a smile on her face. 

Tobin noticed her smile and couldn’t help but smile herself, there was something about this girl that she couldn’t quite figure out but she was excited about working with her. 

‘So I’ll let you get situated. There’s a folder there with all the information of the centre on it, the boring stuff I suppose. I’m glad I was able to bring someone else on board to help me with it all because I think you can tell by looking at my desk I’m not an organised person’ she laughed ‘if you need me I’ll be getting set up out there, the other guys should be arriving soon so I’ll introduce you then, feel free to have a look around and just shout me if you need me’ 

‘I will do. Thank you Tobin’ replied Christen with a smile. 

Tobin exited the office with a smile and a nod of her head and Christen instantly wanted to follow her but she knew she had to get herself organised and acquainted with the building.


	4. Chapter 4

Tobin had left Christen on her own in the office around 30 minutes ago. She wanted to go and check on the girl but didn’t want to come across as nosey or clingy so thought best to leave her be and let her come out of the office when she is ready. 

As Tobin was getting the soccer balls out of the equipment cupboard she heard voices entering the centre. 

‘Well look who’s doing a bit of work for a change’ screamed Emily across the room 

‘I’d be careful if I was you, after all I can fire you if I feel like it’ Tobin replied smugly to the younger girl. 

Emily just narrowed her eyes and headed for the staff room to put her stuff in the fridge. 

‘Morning Tobin’ shouted Mal with a wave, she’d entered the same time as Emily with Dansby at their sides. Those three where like best buds so of course they car shared to work of a morning and evening. 

‘Hi Mal and Dansby, how are you guys this morning?’ Tobin loved Mal, she was just so full of life and energy and at 21 years old the world was her oyster and yet she chose to work here. 

‘I’m good thanks but this ones a bit cranky this morning, decided to stay up a bit later than usual’ Mal replies while pointing towards Dansby who had taken a seat on one of the benches with his head against the wall and his eyes closed. 

‘Well he needs to get himself together because we have a little league team coming in at 10:30 and I’m sure they’ll be full of life’ Tobin replied with a slight chuckle but also a serious look on her face. 

Dansby groaned but stood up from the bench to start getting the equipment together. Mal just chuckled but decided to follow him to help out. 

Emily returned from the break room with a shake in hand. Emily prided herself on health and fitness and always wanted to be in the best shape. ‘What’s on the schedule today then boss?’ She asked while taking a bite of an apple and staring at Tobin. 

‘We’ve got a pretty decent day, a school team are heading in around 1pm and then we’ve got a pick up game at 4pm but other than that it’s just one on one sessions or if anyone drops by’ Tobin replied. Days like today are normally when she would get some office work done but now because Christen is here she doesn’t really have to worry about that stuff but she will definitely be going to check on the girl to see if she needs help, after all she couldn’t leave her all alone in that office could she. 

‘Who’s got you all smiley?’ She heard Emily say. 

‘What nothing I was just thinking’ Tobin replied while trying to act casual. 

‘Whatever you say Tobs’ replied Emily, she’d ask again later. 

Zach and Julie entered the centre hand in hand at the perfect time. Those two had been married for a few years having met in college and where a joy to be around, Tobin was thankful she had such fun and loving people to work with. 

‘Morning everyone’ shouted Julie, Tobin took this chance to walk away from Emily and greet the two. 

There where no basketball sessions planned today so Megan and Sue has the day off, no doubt they’ll pop by at some point though. 

‘Hey guys, now that you’re all here I need to talk to you’

‘Uh oh, who’s in trouble. I swear that chair leg broke before I was even here’ replied Emily. 

‘No no one’s in troubl...wait there’s a broken chair?’ Tobin looked at her puzzled 

‘What no the chairs are fine...’ Emily said 

Tobin didn’t push the situation deciding to just deal with that later. 

‘So what I’m trying to tell you is that the new general manager started today and want you all to be on your best behaviour and make her feel welcome, she’s in the office now as I came in early to show her round...she’s really nice’ 

Emily took not of what Tobin and said and smirked to herself

‘I gave her the tour this morning and told her who you guys where so she’s up to date so once you’re all settled I’ll introduce you all’ 

It’s as if Christen knew that her name was mentioned because as soon as To in finished speaking the door leading to the office was opened and Christen walked out. 

It’s as if Tobin had never seen her before because she couldn’t help but take in how beautiful Christen was. She just started as she crossed the pitches to the group with a beaming smile and kind eyes and Tobin wish she could look at her like this all day. 

‘Hi everyone’ Christen said with a wave of her hand towards the group. ‘I’m Christen Press, it’s lovely to finally meet you all’ 

The group all said hello and introduced themselves and what sport they ran while Tobin just started at Christen smiling. Emily was looking at her with a grin and Tobin doomed realised what was happening. 

‘Right..yeah so Christen will be handling all of the important stuff and finances etc giving me more of an opportunity to coach and be present out here on the pitches but any problems you can speak to both of us’ Tobin said while gesturing between herself and Christen. 

The group either relied with a simple good or great or a nod of their head and before they knew it people where walking through the door with appointments or questions to ask and Tobin was thankful for the interruption. 

Christen whispered to Tobin that she was going to head back to the office and will probably pop back out later while giving her shoulder a caress and Tobin melted at the touch. 

Oh shit she thought. This was going to be hard for her.


	5. Chapter 5.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for not updating in so long. life got super busy but I hope you enjoy this small update in the story :)

The day at the Community centre was running smoothly so far, the little league team that arrived at 10:30am this morning had set them all in the right mood with all of the kids being well behaved and excited to be playing some sports. 

Once they had left it allowed the staff to clean up and have some lunch together before the next lot of school kids headed in at 1 pm. Tobin loved being able to be so present in the centre rather than having to go back into the office to check on things or do little bits of work and she is definitely thankful that she won’t have to stay late tonight. 

The second school team left at 2:30 pm giving the group an hour and a half to tidy up again and just chill with each other. 

Tobin was helping Emily load all the soccer balls into a bag when she heard footsteps approaching them. She quickly turned around and spotted Christen walking towards them with a calm smile on her face. 

‘Hey guys, looks like you’ve all been busy’ spoke Christen 

‘Tell me about it, those little kids have got a lot of energy’ replied Emily although she secretly loved it, still acting like a child herself half the time. 

Tobin just chuckled at Emily’s response and turned to Christen asking ‘How has your first day been so far? Need any helping the office?’ 

At this point, she had dropped the remaining soccer balls on to the floor leaving them for Emily to pick up and had approached Christen. Emily just shook her head and continue to clean up. 

’No that’s okay I’ve got it under control, I’ve managed to make it a bit more organised and give everything a place so it should be a lot easier to find certain stuff when we need it’ replied Christen 

Tobin just nodded her head while stuffing her hands into her tracksuit pockets, wanting to be able to focus on something else rather than just staring at Christen. 

‘That’s great, thank you’ Tobin responded sincerely. 

‘No need to thank me, Tobin, we’re a team now’ said Christen, and Tobin liked the sound of that. 

The looked longingly at each other for a moment before they heard someone clear their throat, they both looked over to where Emily was trying to pick up the three bags of soccer balls she had finished putting away. 

‘Are you just going to leave me to lug these bags by myself or are you going to help’ Emily shouted while clearly struggling to get a grip of the bags. 

‘ I think you better go help her’ Christen said just so Tobin could hear. 

‘Yeah I probably should but it's fun to watch her struggle for a moment’ Tobin responded with a chuckle 

That was until Emily dropped one of the bags and all the soccer balls came tumbling out. 

‘Now I should go help’ said Tobin while laughing at Emily’s annoyed expression 

Christen just chuckled and turned on her heels heading back towards the offices WHILE SMILING TO HERSELF LISTENING to Tobin and Emily squabble

‘Dude, I showed you how to tie the bags properly last time’ she heard Tobin say 

‘Well I’m sorry but you try lugging three huge bags of soccer balls on your own. Not all of us have the pleasure of staring to pretty girls all day’ 

‘I wasn’t staring’ replied Tobin sheepishly 

‘Yeah keep telling yourself that dude’ 

Christen just continued walking back to the office not being able to wipe the smile off her face. 

A few hours later the last group had left the centre and closing time was approaching. All the staff remained except for Julie and Zach who didn't have any more groups, they both offered to stay and help with the others but Tobin let them go knowing they had a busy week coming up. 

Dansby was currently throwing balls for Mal and Emily to hit while they waited for Tobin, they all had a free evening so decided to get dinner together tonight. 

Tobin had texted Kelley earlier on in the day asking her if she wanted to join them, of course she agreed without hesitation but Tobin knew it wasn't because she wanted to hang out with her. 

Emily and Kelley had been flirting back and forth with each other for weeks and Tobin knew it was only a matter of time before they got together, they just needed a little nudge. 

Tobin headed towards the office to check on Christen, when she arrived the girl was just shutting off her computer looking ready to head out for the day. 

'Hey, I'm sorry I haven't really been back here much today, we ended up being a lot busier than I thought and lost track of time' Tobin said while collecting her bag from near her desk. 

'Oh don't worry about it, its been nice to be able to go at my own pace today and figure everything out for myself' responded Christen throwing her own bag over her shoulder. 

The two left the office at the same time both walking down the corridor with each other.

'So we're all heading out for dinner tonight if you would like to join us?' No worries if not, you probably have plans anyway' Tobin asked sheepishly, suddenly feeling nervous about asking Christen to join them for dinner, she probably had her own plans anyway. 

'Actually, I don't and it would be lovely to be able to hang with you guys properly and get to know you all better' Christen responded while looking over at Tobin. 

Tobin beamed at her. 'Great, we haven't decided on where to go yet but we've got a few options' 

They both rounded the corner to find Emily, Mal and Dansby all arguing over who's turn it was to bat. Both girls just chuckled at the sight in front of them. 

'Kids, its time to go' shouted Tobin causing all three of them to stop what they were doing and head towards their stuff. 

'Are you joining us Christen' asked Mal 

'yeah if that's cool with you guys?' replied Christen 

'Of course' said Emily, 'I'm sure Tobin will be happy to show some of our favourite restaurants along the way' 

Tobin just looked over at her saying 'and I'm sure you'll be happy to know that Kelley will be joining us' 

'Ooooooo' both Mal and Dansby responded 

Emily immediately turned red at the sound of their teasing and narrowed her eyes at Tobin and headed towards the door.

Tobin turned to a smiling Christen saying 'I'll fill you in on the walk' 

All Christen could do was nod and follow the group out the door.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it. Suggestions welcome!


End file.
